Twisted

Ashley Judd seems to go out of her way to find plot-hole-riddled women-in-peril B-thrillers: with Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, High Crimes, and this ridiculous-twist-packed murder mystery, it's as if she's doing everything in her power not to be taken seriously as an actress. Here, she plays a hard-drinking, procedure-breaking San Francisco homicide cop with some daddy issues that lead to a habit of sexually aggressive one-night stands. Soon she's investigating the beating deaths of several lovers--killings that all took place during boozy blackouts she tries to hide from her partner (Andy Garcia). The suspense in Twisted is marred by barely cursory attempts to question Judd's sanity and possible guilt--thanks in part to surrogate father/police commissioner Samuel L. Jackson--and the film is so poorly conceived that "the real killer" might as well be walking around in blood-soaked shoes. Beyond providing an atmosphere of imminent danger, there's not much talented director Philip Kaufman (Quills, The Right Stuff) can do to infuse this movie with plausibility, let alone patch up the cracks in its rudimentary psychological facade. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Philip Kaufman; the production featurettes “Creating a Twisted Web of Intrigue” (11 min.), “The Inspectors: Clues to the Crime” (10 min.), and “San Francisco: Scene of the Crime” (6 min.); 10 “Cutting Room Floor” deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary (16 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a ridiculous thriller.] (R. Blackwelder)